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Forge

Forge is book two of an impressive trilogy about the African American experience during the American Revolutionary War. While this is not a subject that is typically well developed in our history lessons, it is meticulously well researched by this author and impressively executed with unforgettable characters. In book one, Chains, we are introduced to Isabel and her little sister, Ruth, who are born into slavery but were supposed to have been freed after their slave holder died. Of course, fate would not have it that way. After becoming the property of a couple who are not sympathetic to the American Revolution, Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with connections to the Patriots. Book two, Forge, is told through the eyes of Curzon and picks up after Curzon, Isabel and Ruth were separated. To survive, Curzon joins the Patriot army and has to fight for respect from his fellow white soldiers. While Curzon struggles with fears that Isabel may not be alive, he must suffer from hunger, cold, sleep deprivation and a constant threat from the British Army. The third book in this trilogy, Ashes, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012. Recommended for grade 6 and up, as well as adult book clubs.